


B L U E

by tommino



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Blood, Gen, Interrogation, Self-Sacrifice, Stabbing, Torture, Whump, hurt!lance, not particularly graphic but it does involved some light stabbing so..., yeah.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-21 21:20:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14923061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tommino/pseuds/tommino
Summary: After the pilot swap, the paladins kept their original gear. So when a Galra general wants revenge on the Blue lion, his eyes skip right over Allura’s pink armor.Without hesitation, Lance takes credit for the Blue lion’s actions... and faces the consequences.Anything to protect his friends.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [plnkblue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/plnkblue/gifts).



.

 

.

 

They never should have brought this fight to the ground.

 

In the skies, Voltron had been unbeatable - tearing through the Galra fleet in minutes and leaving nothing but a debris field in orbit. When the remaining ships had retreated planetside, the lions were quick to give chase.

 

But on foot like this, deep within the subterranean Galra complex? The paladins hadn’t realized what they were walking into.

 

A Galra soldier pushes Keith down to his knees, his bound wrists in front of him jarring painfully as he tries to catch himself. Lance nearly faceplants when they shove him down next to the Red paladin, and Allura follows soon after. The princess’ Altean strength made her the most difficult to restrain, but eventually the Galra had gotten her into harsh metal cuffs as well.

 

Fortunately it’s just the three of them; Hunk and Pidge had headed for the prisoner wing to release as many hostages as possible. When Allura kicked in the command room door, the trio had expected to take out the last dregs of Galra resistance - not run themselves into an ambush.

 

Now here they are - trussed up in a corner of the fortified command room, bayards and chestplates stripped away, with two layers of steel walls between them and freedom. But electronic locks can be hacked, and Keith tells himself it’s just a matter of time until Pidge and Hunk bust them out. He and the other two paladins just have to hold on.

 

“Not exactly the welcome party we were expecting,” Lance mumbles. He shifts uncomfortably, testing the material around his wrists.

 

From Lance’s other side, Allura nudges him to be quiet. The last thing they need is to catch the attention of the Galra commander pacing across the room.

 

The base’s general is tall, looming over his officers by a foot at least, and clearly dressed for battle. Various weapons are fastened to scuffed armor - but most ominous is the wide bandolier strapped across his chest. Sharp metal gleams from behind the stained leather latches. _Knives._

 

The imposing Galra paces in front of a wall of holo-screens, video feeds displaying the base’s crumbling defenses. His head swivels, and Keith sees disheveled bandages wrapped around his head over one eye. Fresh blood darkens the fabric on his face, as if the Galra hadn’t even paused to seek proper treatment before returning to his post.

 

Keith wonders if the wound is a remnant of their battle above the planet. That could explain the simmering fury, the frantic fear amid the gathered soldiers. The whole crew is on edge. The general shouts orders, apparently gathering the last of their troops into fighterships.

 

“What’s our target, General Bastra?” an officer asks hesitantly.

 

The Galra commander stops his pacing, voice dropping menacingly. “Prepare an advance squadron for the Castle of Lions.”

 

Allura pulls in a sharp breath, too quiet for anyone but her equally shocked paladins to hear. Shiro and Coran are on that ship, nearly defenseless while Voltron is planetside. Allura had been the first to speak out against leaving their home unguarded while the lions pursued their retreating foes. But the temptation of freeing this planet completely was too great a chance to pass up.

 

_“Don’t fret Princess, the ship will be waiting behind the planet’s secondary moon. We’ll be safer than a flock of parasnips during nesting season.”_ Coran had assured them that the castle would be well-hidden. There’s no way the Galra could have found it so quickly.

 

General Bastra turns to approach the three paladins, thrilled to see the effect his words have had on them.

 

“Don’t look so surprised, paladins,” he sneers. “Voltron destroyed my fleet, shredded everything I’ve worked so hard to build. Now I will take that from you too, in one _glorious_ final assault.”

 

There’s manic glee behind his threat, a euphoria that’s just unhinged enough to make Keith realize: _The general is mad._ Backed into a corner, Bastra is ready to throw every living soul under his command into the fire - chasing revenge and violence wherever it leads.

 

“One of you will tell me where the castleship is. I know it can’t go far without its precious princess, now can it?” Bastra grabs Allura’s chin, who meets his eye unflinchingly. Keith feels his lips pull into a snarl.

 

“Hands off, furball,” Lance grits out. “Or she’ll give you one _glorious_ ass-kicking in a minute.”

 

The general’s attention flicks over to the middle paladin as if seeing him for the first time. The onceover slows to linger on Lance’s armor. Bastra’s spine stiffens in recognition, and one gleaming yellow eye narrows with immediate hatred.

 

_“You.”_

 

A flash of fear crosses Lance’s face, startled by the ferocity packed into a single word. The general releases Allura without a second thought and turns to overshadow the Blue paladin instead.

 

“Did you think I would forget who caused all this?” he growls. “Who did THIS to me?”

 

Keith’s brow furrows, mirroring the confused expression on Lance’s face. The general had arrived after the paladins stormed the command room; they hadn’t encountered him as they fought their way in. So how…?

 

Viper-quick, the general’s hand snatches Lance around the throat, pulling him to his feet in one violent motion. Keith shouts in alarm, Allura’s eyes growing wide at the sudden escalation.

 

“The Blue lion tore into our bombercruiser.” Bastra squeezes Lance’s throat a little tighter, claws pressing dangerously at the delicate skin of his neck. “You ruptured our auxiliary bridge, took out half my command station.”

 

Lance is barely balanced on his tiptoes, tied hands scrabbling uselessly at the Galra’s grip as he struggles to keep his boots on the floor.

 

“The Blue lion cost me my eye, scum.”

 

Wait.

 

Keith glances over to Allura, cold dread sweeping through his chest. The princess must realize at the same time, meeting his gaze with a panicked expression.

 

She was the one flying Blue.

 

The general’s fangs twist into a grimace. “I’m going to make you pay for it. Make you pay for all the damage you caused.”

 

The Blue lion demolished Bastra’s ship…but Allura’s armor is pink. Lance wears his original blue gear even as he pilots Red. The general has the wrong paladin.

 

Allura opens her mouth to speak, but Lance hisses out an answer first. “If y-you ask me, Blue did you a favor. The eyepatch covers up more of your ugly mug.”

 

General Bastra roars and slams the paladin into the wall of panels behind them.

 

“Lance, what are you doing?? Stop it! It wasn’t him!” Allura calls desperately.

 

The general looks to her for a moment, his remaining good eye scanning over her pink armor, confused…considering…

 

Lance suddenly stops struggling against the hand at his throat. Keith watches in mounting horror as the Blue paladin gets that familiar protective set to his shoulders; the one that comes before every stupidly-noble decision he’s ever made.

 

Fear melts into determination as Lance locks eyes with Keith, demanding the other paladin stay quiet - to let him do this for the sake of their princess. And then Lance raises his voice, offering himself up to save his friends.

 

“I’m the Blue paladin. I’m the one you want.”

 

.

 

.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Galra general starts his interrogation, more interested in Lance's suffering than any real answers...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter has been edited and slightly reworked! Definitely worth a backtrack to get refreshed on the Story So Far :D

.

 

.

 

“I’m the Blue paladin. I’m the one you want.”

 

General Bastra’s attention snaps back to Lance with a focus that makes Keith’s throat go dry. Allura is shocked silent, overwhelmed by the loyalty of her paladin.

 

“But let’s be real,” Lance continues, far too casual for someone pinned to the wall by a Galran fist. Still, he’s clearly willing to needle the general if it keeps Bastra’s focus solely on him. “It’s your own fault for pissing off Voltr-  _ auck” _

 

Lance cuts off with a choked gurgle when the Galra starts to  _ squeeze. _ One leg kicks back against the wall instinctively, pained expression betraying how desperately he needs to breathe. It only takes a few seconds for his mouth to strain open, fighting against the pressure across his throat. His chest heaves. When Lance’s eyelids start to flutter, Keith yanks against the ties at his wrists desperately, shouting.

 

“You’re killing him!” Allura cries. “Let go!!”

 

The Blue paladin is fading, yet the general gives no sign of letting up. A guard steps forward to grab Keith’s shoulder, and the Red paladin tries to kick out blindly. Dammit, he needs to get free. He needs to tear the general away from Lance. The guards only restrain Keith further, and soon all he can do is yell alongside Allura. Bastra ignores them.

 

“S-sir, we need him alive,” one of the soldiers cautions. The general’s eye narrows, claws squeezing minutely tighter, until…

 

“Very well.” Bastra releases the paladin, and Lance drops to the floor, hacking and coughing. “I suppose I can’t get information from him if I crush his throat. Fortunately, there are other ways to persuade such…fragile creatures.”

 

He grabs Lance by the hair, tugging him upright even as the paladin struggles to pull air back into lungs that must be aching.

 

“Where is the castleship?” Bastra demands.

 

The Blue paladin’s spine arches as the general pulls him backward, face tilted up toward the snarling Galra.

 

“H…hopefully coming back t-to take out your other eye,” Lance says, voice raw.

 

The answering backhand sends the paladin sprawling again. Lance struggles to push himself back to his knees, unwilling to stay down. Taking a step back, the general brushes a hand over the bandolier on his chest, eye glinting with sick anticipation as he unstraps one of its knives.

 

Keith lurches forward as soon as he sees the wickedly sharp blade. He has to fight, has to make this stop. Bastra glances over to his other two captives, and Keith hears the whine of the guards’ blaster rifles powering up behind him. Keith just glares harder, daring the general to break eye contact.

 

“If you touch him again,” the Red paladin says slowly, “I will tear you to shreds.” The threat comes out measured, quiveringly calm at surface level. Keith means every word.

 

The mad general’s expression flickers between annoyed and amused, as if he can’t decide whether to punish the paladin or laugh in his face. He lifts the knife to point directly at Keith.

 

“You hold your tongue,” Bastra commands. All at once, the general’s tone is dark and serious. “Or I’ll start with his eye.” 

 

Gone are all traces of madness, leaving only the steady certainty that this Galra means his threat - and more. Keith finds himself swallowing tightly, voice chased away in fear for Lance. The glimmering metal of the dagger shifts dangerously in the general’s hand.

 

“An eye for an eye. It only seems fair, after all.”

 

Lance’s blue gaze snaps over to his teammates, wide and frightened, and Keith forces himself to clench his jaw shut. The general smirks as the Red paladin falls silent, and Bastra turns to Lance once again. 

 

Without the paladin armor across his front, everyone can see the way Lance cringes away from the general’s attention.

 

A shiver runs down Keith’s back. He hasn’t stopped straining against his bonds, sharp pain lancing through his arms as he bends and pulls. He imagines he can feel the bones of his wrist creaking, but ignores it. Allura’s face reveals nothing, but her shoulders twitch tellingly as she strains to rip through her own cuffs. She’s focused, furious at the idea of watching the general’s threats play out any further.

 

Neither paladin dares to speak up again - not with the knife so close to Lance. Instead, they can only race to get free. Intervene before it’s too late.

 

Bastra runs the blade lightly across Lance's collarbone, sharp edge promising to break skin with just a bit more pressure. “Now, are you going to tell me where the rest of your cowardly teammates are hiding?”

 

Lance swallows, the bob of his throat dangerously close to the trailing knife. He doesn't falter, doesn't hesitate.

 

“Not a chance.”

 

The general doesn't even try to supress the way his lips quirk into a smile, as if welcoming the opposition. Clearly, Bastra is more interested in what comes after such defiance.

 

His blade twitches across the thin skin of the Blue paladin’s chest, a neat slice splitting the black underarmor with a snap. The general presses harder, and Lance lets out a hiss as the knife bites into his shoulder.

 

Bastra drags his knife sideways. The wound is achingly slow to bleed. A slender line of red appears behind the blade, swelling until a trickle of blood spills over to run down his arm. The cut is thin, deep. Painful.

 

Keith’s blood boils in response, searing through his veins, but he welcomes the fury. It’s either that or give into the rising tide of horror, drown in the fear of what will follow. Because Lance will never betray the team, Keith is certain. The castle is their  _ home. _

 

Allura whimpers in sympathy as the Galra lowers the blade again. Keith can’t look away from the beading stream of red. Lance breathes heavily through his nose as the general carves another slice across his chest. By the end of it, a sound catches the Blue paladin’s throat, swelling into a shout when the Galra flicks the blade free.

 

“Ah, so you speak up at last,” Bastra murmurs. He presses a hand over the cuts, red smearing under his palm.

 

Lance gasps in pain, blinking back tears.

 

“Lance! Lance stop this, tell him it wasn’t you!” Allura’s cries go ignored. Lance’s jaw sets stubbornly, and Bastra barely spares a glance toward the other captives. His full attention is devoted to making the Blue paladin suffer.

 

The blade bites into Lance’s tan skin again, a matching curl across his other arm. Lance shivers away from the metal with a hiss. Bastra just presses harder, claws snagging the Blue paladin’s cuffed wrists to keep him close.

 

Keith can’t watch any more. The words tumble from his lips like a rushed confession. “Allura we have to give them the coordinates; the castleship can defend itself. We have to-”

 

“We can’t, Keith,” Allura says mournfully. “The minute you tell him, the general will kill Lance. You know he will.”

 

“They’re killing him  _ now!!” _

 

Just as Keith’s words slip into shouting, Bastra steps back from his target. The slicing has stopped, and Lance lies panting on the hard metal of the command deck.

 

The Galra throws a disgusted glare down at the paladin, wiping one blade haphazardly against a fold of his armor. “I’ll make you talk paladin. Or else I’ll make you scream. Which will come first, I wonder?”

 

Lance, impossibly, laughs. A rattling, painful huff of air as he pushes himself up to glare at the general. “Trust me, I’m hap- happy to keep talking to you, asshole. You’re the one getting touchy about the pirate jokes.”

 

Bastra grabs Lance by the wrists again, easily lifting them above Lance’s head and twisting him up onto his knees. “Every second of defiance brings me closer to slicing you to pieces right here in front of your friends. I don’t suggest you tempt me further.”

 

“Yeah well, we do crazy things to...protect the people we care about.” Blue eyes flick over to his teammates, and Keith doesn’t dare blink. Not when Lance meets the gaze, unflinching and calm for just a moment’s breath.

 

“Oh Lance,” Allura whispers beside him, heartbroken as she takes in her bleeding paladin.

 

Lance’s face softens as he looks to his princess, and the Galra general makes a growling sound of impatience. Bastra’s hand flashes in sudden motion - and Lance gasps. For a moment, Keith doesn’t realize what’s happened. Until his eyes move lower.

 

Silver glints from between Lance’s ribs, a glistening blade plunged deep into the paladin’s side. 

No.  _ No no no no. _

 

Bastra’s lips peel back into a fanged smile as Allura and Keith scream. Lance is silent, eyes wide and expression shocked. He curls forward around the knife, tumbling to the ground with a heavy thud when Bastra releases the grip on Lance’s forearms.

 

The general scoffs, toeing an uninterested boot into Lance’s side. Bastra turns away even as his victim bleeds out on the floor. Lance shifts slightly, smearing red across the metal as he tries to... to pull himself toward the team, Keith realizes.

 

Allura wrestles furiously against her restraints and the grasping soldiers holding her back. Another clawed hand clamps down on Keith’s shoulder and he snarls, wrenching hard enough that he feels something in his wrist crack. 

 

But now his arm is free, and Keith throws an elbow sideways and sends one soldier reeling. Struggling to his feet, Keith is too slow to block the rifle that slams between his shoulder blades. More Galra are on him at once. Clawed hands pin him forward onto the deck, pain radiating up his arm even as he struggles harder.

 

Keith twists to keep looking at where Lance lies sprawled across the floor, one bloody palm pressed to the knife in his side and the other arm reaching forward toward his teammates. Lance is bleeding, bleeding out right here in front of them. Tears of frustration and heartbreak burn ruthlessly in the corner of Keith’s eyes.

 

A keening whine catches the retreating general’s attention, and Bastra turns back. Keith realizes too late the sound is coming from him. Cruelty twists at the Galra’s features as he looks between the three prisoners. He takes a step toward the bleeding Blue paladin, one hand reaching up toward his bandolier again. Bastra’s coming back to finish the job - and Keith can barely move enough to yell.

 

The lights flicker out.

 

Panels across the wall go dark, throwing the massive room into a deep purple hue of backup lights. Allura lets out a wrecked sob of relief as Keith realizes Hunk and Pidge have made their move.

 

One of the doors crumples inward from a concussive blast, and Bastra stumbles backward. The hands on Keith’s shoulder loosen in surprise, and Keith doesn’t waste a second of the distraction. He twists as he launches himself upward. His shoulder drives right into the soldier behind him and knocks the Galra on his ass, while Keith keeps moving.

 

Allura sweeps out a leg to take down her guard, bound hands latching onto the ankles of another and pulling. She’s on her feet and swinging a punch before the soldier even hits the ground.

 

Hunk is through the doorway now, firing into tech and Galra alike, and Keith makes a beeline for Lance. He loops his arms around the Blue paladin and drags him behind cover - pulls him as far from Bastra as he can manage. Allura slides into place beside them a heartbeat later, panting and with a smear of Galra blood across her cheek.

 

“Lance, Lance can you hear me?” she asks immediately. Lance is panting, too fast, breath hissing through his teeth as he gasps a jumble of words.

 

“All- Allu...ra. It h…urts, I can’t, I c-” His hand moves toward the princess, and she wraps her fingers around his tightly to squeeze reassurance.

 

But Keith doesn’t know what to do with his own hands. There’s blood, too much of it - surely too much to press down on and stop the flow. The knife could be holding an artery closed for all they know. Keith can’t risk dislodging it.

 

Allura curls a palm around Lance’s cheek, trying to keep him calm. His head tilts softly into the gesture, rapid inhales slowing as Lance focuses on his teammate’s gentle touch. Gunfire and screams rattle in the background as Hunk and Pidge fight their way forward. Keith knows rescue is coming, but a huge room full of Galra still separates the two halves of Voltron.

 

The Blue paladin moans, mumbling something unintelligible. His head lolls back against the control panel pressed against his spine, and each blink comes slower than the last. Eventually, tear-streaked eyelashes flutter shut and don’t open again.

 

Lance is drifting. Keith rips at his own sleeve, wadding the fabric up into a ball. 

 

“Stay awake, Lance. Please just stay awake,” the Red paladin chants. He presses the fabric onto the worst of the bleeding, applying pressure all at once and feeling warm blood soak into his fingertips. Lance jolts as if a livewire has been pressed into his skin, forced back into awareness with a sharp cry of pain. 

 

“AAH stop, stop it! I’m awake, I’m h-here,” Lance curls forward over the injury with a whimper, and Keith screws his eyes shut in apology. Allura’s warm hand takes Keith’s place, pressing down more evenly as she murmurs reassurance. 

 

“Just stay with us. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Allura hushes Lance, expression dropping into fear when she looks at Keith. “We need to get him out of here, fast. The healing pods can fix this but we don’t have time to wait.”

 

Keith takes a rattling breath as he leans around the control panel to survey their odds. Pidge and Hunk are holding their own, but there’s still a whole crew of Galra between them and the door. Their confiscated gear lies across the room.

 

But Lance is the priority. Keith can risk it. “I’ll engage the closest group, catch them by surprise and hold their attention as long as I can. You take Lance and-”

 

Allura interrupts. “You have no armor, no bayard, and what looks like a broken wrist. You won’t last a minute without a weapon, Keith.”

 

The Red paladin glances down at the mangled restraints on one arm and corresponding throb of his hand. He… hadn’t even noticed. Allura is right though; he’s in no condition for a fistfight.

 

Keith ignores the small swell of doubt. “We don’t have a choice. I’ll uh- I’ll get a rifle from them.” 

 

Allura’s expression is pinched, eyes scanning the area for another option. With the fighting all around them, their options are hopelessly limited. Keith shifts into a crouch, muscles tense as he prepares to throw himself into the fray. Consequences be damned.

 

They both startle when Lance gives a wet laugh.

 

“Yeah right, Mullet. Like you’ll be much use w-with a gun.” He shifts with a grimace, looking at Keith with as much sarcasm as he can muster. The pain in his eyes dulls the effect.

 

Lance huffs out a shallow sigh, muttering “...this is gonna suck.”

 

Keith’s brows furrow in confusion. And then Lance’s hand is moving, tugging the blade from his stomach in an agonizing slide. He lets out a harsh groan, and jerks the knife free before Keith or Allura can stop him.

 

_ “Lance!!” _ Allura dives forward to press her hands to the wound, trying to stem the new rush of blood that follows. 

 

Hand shaking, Lance lifts the blade to offer the handle to Keith. His voice is strained, but sure.

 

“Make it count.”

 

Keith hesitates just long enough to search Lance’s expression. Past the exhaustion and pain, the Blue paladin’s resolve never wavers. They’re going to make it out of this, together or not at all. Keith doesn’t dare let him down.

 

He wraps a firm hand around the blade, and Lance leans back with a sigh of relief. Allura gives Keith a solemn nod, and returns her attention to Lance’s wound.

 

The knife is slippery with blood. Keith squeezes harder, fingers sliding into a familiar grip. One breath, two… And then he’s moving.

 

Keith takes down the first guard with a pounce, moving onto a second before the soldiers even turn to realize the new threat. The blade from Lance flashes as Keith swipes and dodges toward their gear. Once they have their bayards, he and Allura can clear a path toward their teammates and the exit.

 

Hunk shouts a warning from the doorway just as Keith slices through another soldier. Just in time, Keith dances away from the sword of a ragged Galra sneaking up behind him. The sudden move leaves him off balance, soldier bearing down for another blow, and Keith barely has enough breath for a curse.

 

A crackle of green energy buzzes across the soldier’s skin, and he hits the ground immediately. Keith’s gaze follows the return of Pidge’s bayard, grappling hook wire spooling back into the Green paladin’s hand. Keith sags his shoulders in a tired ‘thank you’ and Pidge tips her chin up in a quick acknowledgement. Then she’s swinging again, tasering a soldier that gets too close to Hunk.

 

Their escape team is ready - Keith just needs to get their bayards and cut a safe path through the command deck. Their gear is only steps away from him, now. Almost there.

 

A Galra boot hits his ribs, and Keith is tumbling sideways. Another heavy kick to the side of his knee sends Keith to the floor. His wrist screams white hot when he catches himself with the wrong arm, blade raising on instinct to block the downswing of his attacker. Keith’s knife rings from the impact of its brother... General Bastra growling down at the Red paladin from behind a matching blade. 

 

Keith’s fury burns away any trace of pain in his body.

 

He rolls away from the general, tucking his shoulder and bouncing back onto his feet. Keith throws himself at Bastra without hesitation. The general grunts, forced backward a step as their blades catch. A stray plasma burst sends sparks flying from a nearby control panel, but neither of them flinch. Keith presses forward. 

 

Yellow eye narrowing into a glare, Bastra palms a second knife from his bandolier. He sweeps upward before Keith notices the underhanded move. It catches him across the arm, and Keith cries out. He jerks backward before the general can get in another slice.

 

Bastra swings ruthlessly for the Red paladin’s head, and Keith ducks beneath the sweeping shimmer of the knife. His bloody arm trickles over his broken wrist, but Keith isn’t the only one disadvantaged by injury.

 

Keith feints an attack, lunging to the general’s blind side at the last second. Bastra roars in frustration, swiveling his whole body to keep track of Keith’s movement - just as planned.

 

The knife flips easily in Keith’s fingers, turning around in his palm to let him slash instead of stab. He punches forward with a hoarse shout. The blade tears into Bastra’s throat, turning the general’s bellow into a gurgle and sending a spray of blood over the Red paladin’s fingers. 

 

Keith keeps moving, using the momentum to carry himself past Bastra and return for another attack. Off-balance and gushing blood, Bastra staggers through a turn to face the Red paladin. They both know the fight is over. Keith grits his teeth in a feral snarl, then delivers Lance’s blade directly into the general’s heart. 

 

The metal sinks deep, and Keith pushes harder still.

 

All at once, Bastra goes quiet. Keith steps backward, panting from exertion as he watches the general sink to his knees with a thud. The knife glints from where it’s embedded in his chest. Keith leaves it there, limping over to collect their bayards.

 

As soon as he has their weapons, Keith turns to see Allura scoop up Lance. She cradles him to her chest and rises effortlessly. Even through the remaining chaos, Keith can see Lance sob in pain at the motion. 

 

Keith’s sword materializes with a flash, and Allura is at his side. Together, they guard their downed paladin and carve a path through the violence to their team. Hunk and Pidge look horrified to see Lance more red than blue in Allura’s arms, but they waste no time covering the team’s retreat. Their lions are waiting on the surface, ready to rush the paladins across the stars and into the safety of the castle.

 

Lance taps a shaky hand into Keith’s shoulder as they run. He leaves bloody fingerprints on Keith’s skin, but the Blue paladin is smiling softly. The tear-tracks on his cheeks crinkle under the hallway lights.

 

“I knew you’d...make it count.” Lance is dazed, barely conscious enough to be talking, and Keith reaches out to clasp his teammate’s cold fingers for a heartbeat. “Are we- we’re going home now, right?”

 

“Just hang on a little longer, Lance. It’s thanks to you that we have a home to go back to.”

 

Lance hums contently and closes his eyes. Keith pushes himself faster. The Blue paladin is fading, but they’ll make it out. A healing pod will mend the torn flesh, put Lance to sleep as his body replenishes the blood loss and knits itself back together.

 

And Keith will be waiting outside the glass for Lance to open his eyes again.

 

.

 

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience!! This fic has been published in a charity zine (@VLDwhumpzine on tumblr and twitter), with all proceeds going to a good cause!
> 
> If you'd like to learn more about the zine and see all the other awesome fics and artwork, [click here to check it out on tumblr.](https://vldwhumpzine.tumblr.com/)


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